


His Choice

by LunaJade



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Internal Conflict
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 06:53:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18330854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaJade/pseuds/LunaJade
Summary: "His emerald green eyes, normally calm and quiet, were now dark and hollow. It was almost as if the front he’d been displaying to everyone had melted away, and only a shell of him remained. He stared straight at me, his look sad and empty, as if he was conflicted on his actions. He regretted what he was about to do, but at the same time, deep down, he felt that he needed to, had to do it."_________Gladion does not want people to find out his secret--that he's joined Team Skull. He hates himself for it--even though he feels it is what needs to be done.(A fan-made scene for the Pokemon Sun and Moon anime)





	His Choice

**Author's Note:**

> Just so you know, this starts off in Ash's POV, then switches to Gladion's POV.  
> Enjoy!

The warmth of the sun hit me as I exited the lair of the Totem Pokemon. As I reached the base of the stairs leading to the Altar of the Sunne, I saw Gladion waiting for me, staring straight ahead of him without a sound.

“Gladion!” I called. He turned around at the sound of my voice.

“Ash,” he greeted me quietly. “Thanks for coming…”

I walked over to him. He took a step closer to me, and suddenly I felt a chill. Goosebumps.

What  _was_ that? It had come from him. From Gladion. A chill…no…a presence, an aura. Something dark, maybe almost  _evil._

But from him? I still kind of doubted it. I’d felt it from him earlier, when he’d said he had a job to take care of and left the Aether Paradise, but after talking with Wicke about it, I’d shaken it off for the time being.

 _There’s no way he could be evil._ I thought. _He’s my friend. He would never betray me._

But this time that mysterious feeling was stronger. It emanated even more powerfully than the last time I’d felt it, and now I was growing worried.

“No problem!” I responded to him. “So we’re investigating the world beyond the Ultra Wormhole, right? The world where Dulse and Zossie from the Ultra Recon Squad come from?”

“Right,” he said. “Also…one of my… _friends_ …is going to meet us here. He’s going to assist us. He should be here any minute.”

I could tell something was wrong. The way that he said  _friends_  had an edge to it, a hint of distaste…or hatred.

“Okay, sure thing!” I said, though not without my caution. We stood there in silence until Gladion looked up and said, “He’s here.”

I looked up to see someone trotting down the stairs. Someone that I knew. And someone that I had been hoping not to have another encounter with.

“Guzma…” I said quietly. “Gladion, this is your friend?” I was hoping that this was all a big misunderstanding and that Gladion had mistaken the boss of Team Skull for the friend he’d been waiting for. I wanted to hope that Gladion wasn’t who I’d been afraid that he would be.

But sadly that hope was crushed.       

“Sorry, Ash,” Gladion said. “But this is the friend we were meeting.”

“Then you…you’re…”

“That’s right.” Gladion’s green eyes had a strange light to them. “I am the enforcer of Team Skull. And this is my boss, Guzma.”

I could feel my spirits slowly dropping. “But why?” I said. “Why would you do this?”

“That’s something you wouldn’t understand.”

“But I can! I could help you! I can–“

“Stop saying you can understand everything going on!” he shouted. I stepped back in surprise.

“You say that to everything,” Gladion said. He clenched his fists tightly, so tightly in fact that his hands began to shake. “But you don’t understand a thing!”

“But I–“

“You don’t understand what it was like for Lillie and I. You don’t understand what it was like for me to watch Faba put restraints on Silvally. You don’t understand what it was like for me, after I ran away from home with Null, to be alone for that long. You don’t…”

I watched him go on in a stunned silence.

“You don’t know what it was like for us after our father died.” I opened my mouth to speak, and he shot a glare at me. But I could tell that he wasn’t doing well. His voice breaking, cracking as it spoke, and for once I didn’t know what to say. Because what could I say when he was pouring forth all of these emotions to me?

“You don’t know what it was like to watch my sister get nearly taken away by an Ultra Beast. To have her wake up afterwards and not be able to touch Pokemon…to barely be able to remember you…”

I opened my mouth again. But I found myself still unable to speak.

“So stop trying to be a hero at everything,” he said dryly, coldly. “Because you can’t.”

“Yes…” I saw Guzma come up and whisper into Gladion’s ear. “Go ahead.”

Gladion reached into his pocket and shakily brought out a Poke Ball.

His emerald green eyes, normally calm and quiet, were now dark and hollow. It was almost as if the front he’d been displaying to everyone had melted away, and only a shell of him remained. He stared straight at me, his look sad and empty, as if he was conflicted on his actions. He regretted what he was about to do, but at the same time, deep down, he felt that he needed to,  _had_  to do it.

Then I saw him make his choice.

He tossed his Poke Ball. “Umbreon, use Confuse Ray.”

The dark-type Pokemon came out, and unleashed waves of dark energy onto me. My vision began to blur and I sunk to my knees and fell to the ground, Pikachu falling with me.

“I’m sorry, Ash,” Gladion said, his voice empty and devoid of emotion. “But I have to do this…I have no other choice.”

And before my eyes shut closed, the last thing that I saw was Team Skull’s boss come up and praise their enforcer, my so called friend, for his good work, and Gladion looking down at me regretfully, his dejected green eyes filled with shame.

—————–

“Good job luring him here, Gladion!” Guzma said, clapping me on the back. I ignored him. I stared down at my unconscious friend and his Pikachu, and I could feel the heavy weight laying itself on my heart.

I didn’t know who I was anymore. Who was I to  _anyone_?  _What_  was I to anyone? A friend? A family member? A traitor?

This was exactly why I’d once been against this plan. Why I’d been against showing off my alliance with Team Skull to anyone. Because if they knew the truth…who would ever see me in the same way again?

But at the same time the other half of my mind argued against it.  _You joined so you could protect them,_  it said.

 _But how does that protect them?_ I could feel the part of me that still had a little bit of good left in it trying to save me from my path. But which part of me was right?

_You joined so you could get stronger._

_But why do I need Team Skull for that?_

_You joined because you needed somewhere to go. Because you have NOWHERE left to go._

_But I…_

_You’ve been training all this time to defeat the Ultra Beasts, haven’t you? To fight on the other side of the Ultra Wormhole?_

For a minute, I stood silently. I could hear Guzma calling my name several times, but I tuned him out.

_Because I have nowhere left to go…_

_To fight…_

And I still had a choice to make: Go with Guzma, or turn against him.

But I knew that no matter what I chose, either way I would still regret it at least a little.

“Yo, Gladion, you comin’?” Guzma called. “Come on and bring the brat with us. At least if he wakes up, he’ll realize you were partially telling the truth and we actually  _are_  investigating beyond the Wormhole.”

Now it was my time to choose.

I stared dejectedly at Ash’s unconscious figure.

_It’s all for them._

I’d made my choice.

“Silvally, come out.” I tossed the Poke Ball and Silvally’s tall, silver figure materialized in front of me. I picked up Ash and gently set him onto Silvally’s back. “Carry Ash for me, will you?” Silvally grunted in agreement.

“Good. Now let’s go,” my boss said. He put a hand on my shoulder, much like a father would. But who knew if my real father used to do that with me…

I clenched my fists tighter. So much tighter that my nails dug into my palm and caused it to bleed. I found myself trying to hold in my tears—the tears caused by my betrayal. My joining a group of criminals.

_It’s all to protect them._

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I wrote over a year ago. I've always loved making up stories of how I hope and dream certain series wil turn out. This season of the Pokemon anime isn't my favorite, but Gladion is still my favorite Pokemon character: I've actually always felt that him being a part of Team Skull was a big part of his character development. I also am just really hoping to see him join at some point during the anime, or have it revealed that he's been a member all along. (Besides, after watching the latest episode, I'm thinking that it's not a coincidence that they had Guzma in this episode AND Gladion listening to the League announcement, especially since this episode was supposed to be primarily focused on Guzma. I know that Gladion is also going to be in the League, but those're just my thoughts).  
> I hope that you all enjoyed! Thanks for reading! ^-^  
> (This is unedited, so I apologize for the mistakes!)


End file.
